Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Atmos Energy Co. (NYSE:ATO - Free Report) by 32.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 67,729 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 16,409 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Atmos Energy were worth $9,395,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Atmos Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. PFS Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Atmos Energy during the third quarter valued at $69,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 75.6% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 778 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $91,000 after buying an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Atmos Energy by 158.3% in the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 997 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $116,000 after buying an additional 611 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lummis Asset Management LP raised its position in shares of Atmos Energy by 50.0% in the second quarter. Lummis Asset Management LP now owns 1,128 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $132,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares during the period. 90.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Atmos Energy Price Performance
NYSE ATO traded up $1.09 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $151.42. 935,359 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 878,394. The company has a market capitalization of $23.53 billion, a PE ratio of 22.18, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.68. The firm's 50-day moving average is $141.50 and its 200-day moving average is $129.35. Atmos Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $110.46 and a 52-week high of $152.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.80.
Atmos Energy Increases Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. This is a positive change from Atmos Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Atmos Energy's payout ratio is 50.66%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on ATO shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com upgraded Atmos Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Atmos Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set a "hold" rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Atmos Energy from $145.00 to $143.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Atmos Energy from $129.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $147.69.
Read Our Latest Analysis on Atmos Energy
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, Director Edward Geiser purchased 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $144.89 per share, with a total value of $362,225.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,003.78. This represents a 2,450.98 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.
About Atmos Energy
(
Free Report)
Atmos Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the regulated natural gas distribution, and pipeline and storage businesses in the United States. It operates through two segments, Distribution, and Pipeline and Storage. The Distribution segment is involved in the regulated natural gas distribution and related sales operations in eight states.
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